A mesmerizing image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals a ‘stellar volcano’ in action, showcasing the dramatic activity of a binary star system. The star, known as R Aquarii, is a symbiotic variable star, composed of a red giant and a white dwarf, which exhibit a spectacular dance of gravitational interaction. The Hubble observations provide unprecedented insights into the violent eruptions, swirling material, and vast scale of this cosmic phenomenon.
For the first time, astronomers have captured detailed images of turbulent activity on a star other than our sun. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers observed enormous gas bubbles roiling on the surface of R Doradus, a red giant star. These bubbles, which can swell to 75 times the size of our sun, are driven by heat rising from the star’s core and provide insights into the evolution of stars.
